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Past Commentary & Articles

Market Commentary
February 21, 2020
Should You Buy Company Stock as Part of your 401(k

The past 12 months have seen the rise of a number of issues that are viewed as threats to global economic growth. Concerns about the U.S.-China trade war, Brexit, and most recently the coronavirus outbreak have made headlines around the world, prompting ongoing speculation about how each of these issues may impact both the domestic […]

Market Commentary
February 19, 2020
Market Update - Stock Ticker

Global stocks (-1.3%) kicked off the year by struggling with losses across the board. Emerging market stocks (-4.7%) suffered the most while U.S. large cap stocks (0.0%) were the best performers by posting a flat return. Fixed income asset classes were positive with international bonds (+2.1%) and TIPS (+2.1%) the strongest performers. Alternative asset classes […]

Article
February 19, 2020
Retirement

The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act was signed into law by the President on December 20, 2019. This act contains provisions that will likely significantly affect either yourself or your loved ones at a future date. There are both positive and negative implications for individual taxpayers, so let’s get into what […]

Article
February 18, 2020
Arizona State Sign

10 Lessons From a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional Who Did It Himself I lived most of my life in the Midwest – born and raised in Minnesota, college in Michigan and then 15 years in Chicago. My family was finally ready to get out of the cold, so we embarked on a two-year journey that […]

Article
January 28, 2020
Family walking in a prarie

Every January I head down to Orlando for the Heckerling Conference on Estate Planning. Imagine thousands of attorneys and CPAs all congregating to discuss the latest complicated estate and tax planning strategies the best and brightest had dreamt up… yes, it is exactly as big of a nerd fest as you are imagining. I always […]

Market Commentary
January 14, 2020
Globe

Over the past few years, investors have experienced an array of different emotions and market behaviors. One trend that many have noticed lately is U.S. stock market outperformance compared to international markets. Over the past five years, the IA SBBI U.S. Large Stock Index has outperformed the MSCI EAFE Index (large cap international stock index) […]

Market Commentary
January 13, 2020
Market Update - Stock Ticker

The last month of the year was positive for global stocks (+3.5%), closing +26.4% for the year. U.S. bonds gained slightly throughout the month, pushing year-end gains to +6.8% for U.S. intermediate term and +3.1% for short-term bonds. Alternative asset classes were mixed with commodities posting gains of 5.0% for the month, while managed futures […]

Article
December 21, 2019
Christmas Ornament

Do you hear what I hear??? It’s new legislation coming out of Washington this Christmas season!  Heading into the New Year the Federal Government has just released legislation that will have far reaching implications for nearly all individuals.  You may have heard rumblings of something called the SECURE Act throughout the year.  It passed with […]

Article
December 18, 2019
Curving Road

Slow Down and Pay Attention We all have hectic lives. From caring for young children, to helping our aging parents, along with balancing a busy career and community commitments, it seems that there is never enough time. However, when it comes to your financial security, it is important to slow down and think about what […]